Connected Kerb announced today, November 8, 2021 that it has secured new partnerships for 10,000 on-street EV chargers across the UK in 2021 alone, most of which will be deployed across West Sussex and Kent. The West Sussex tender is believed to be the UK’s largest ever deployment by a local authority.
Deals for a further 30,000 chargers are expected to conclude next year as part of the company's ambition to ‘level up’ UK charging.
“Knowing you can arrive at virtually any location, at any time, in any vehicle and cheaply charge your battery without inconvenience or faff is the reality we have to deliver to create an EV society,” said Dr Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb.
“Our rollout of public chargers — one of the most ambitious the UK has ever seen — encapsulates that future, helping individuals and businesses to confidently make the switch to electric, reducing their carbon footprint and cutting air pollution.”
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The UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles meets 75 per cent of the cost of installations through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), and in many cases Connected Kerb provides the remaining 25 per cent providing a zero-cost opportunity for councils, the company confirmed.
As of 1 July 2021, ORCS has funded installation of 1,459 public charging devices since the scheme's introduction in 2017, with a further 3,200 charge points to be installed in the near future.
In this year alone, UK local authorities have committed to installing up to 10,000 Connected Kerb chargers by 2030, equivalent to a seven-fold increase in the number of chargers installed through the scheme over its entire history.
Most of the 10,000 chargers will be installed on streets, in public sector car parks and at community facilities for West Sussex Council. Kent County Council has also chosen Connected Kerb to deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023, with installations beginning this year and many to be provided in parish towns and rural areas.
Thousands more chargers also announced today are part of tenders with councils including Coventry, Cambridge and Plymouth amongst others.
Transport minister Trudy Harrison said that providing reliable and affordable on-street charging is vital for decarbonising transport and levelling up across the country.
“It’s great to see Connected Kerb and local authorities working together as the government commits £2.5bn towards electric vehicle grants and the development of EV infrastructure in our towns and cities,” she commented.
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